"This birth is a fantastic result, especially as Bo was only
introduced to Sagar last August, and given female red pandas come
into season just twice a year and a male has only a one to two-day
window to mate a female.".

"We couldn't ask for a better mum in Bo. She's doing an
exceptional job, staying in the nest box for long periods and
feeding her cub up to six times a day, and being very
attentive."

Murdock said red pandas are dependent on their mother for at
least three months, so it could be another eight to 10 weeks before
visitors can see the cub venturing out of its nest box into the
enclosure.

Auckland Zoo will not be able to confirm the sex of the cub
until a vet check in late February.

"But bets are on that we have a female," said Murdock.

As part of the international breeding programme, Auckland Zoo
sent female red panda Khosuva to India's Darjeeling Zoo in 2010,
where she has been paired up with a breeding male as part of
Project Red Panda.

The plan is for Khosuva's offspring to be released into the wild
in Nepal.